What could YOU do with a third thumb? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, saying … win a thumb wrestling contest – hands down! Prosthetics are a great solution for people who are missing limbs. But could they also give us a little something EXTRA?
Continue readingTag: neuroscience
Singing in the Brain
I’m singing in the…BRAIN? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Don’t you love singing in the shower? Who CARES if anyone’s listening! But for many stroke patients, singing – or even speaking – are off the table. A stroke can cause a condition called anarthria.
Continue readingTake a Break
Lookin’ for treats in all the wrong places? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, saying – maybe your brain needs a break! When we study, brain cells called neurons form new knowledge connections — a roadway between facts! When we recall the material? BRAINBLAST! Our
Continue readingBatty GPS
Can bats see into the future? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. SWOOP! A black blob dashes by – BATS! Their flight path seems so random – how do these speedy creatures keep track of where they are and where they’re going? Nicholas Dotson and
Continue readingMaking Friends
Hey – didn’t we meet a Central Perk? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Wasn’t Friends the best show ever? I felt I knew Jennifer Aniston better than my own sister! But… Is that possible? Géza Gergely Ambrus at Friedrich Schiller University Jena in Germany
Continue readingScent Smarts
Big city life – the sights, the sounds, the smells…is that PIZZA?!? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. We can smell a warm slice ANYWHERE! But how is it that our nose ALWAYS knows? Srinath Nizampatnam and colleagues at the University of Washington in St.
Continue readingSuper-Script
How do YOU channel your inner Aaron Sorkin? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. When we’re gabbing with our besties, the words just tumble out like an episode of The West Wing. But from where? How DO our brains produce the quick back-and-forth of conversational
Continue readingBrain Synch
“Once upon a time…” could be more than a fairy tale! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science…and storytelling as mind control!? Enhui Xie and Qing Yin from East China Normal University and colleagues wondered. Could telling stories turn strangers into friends?? Thirty-two volunteers were split
Continue readingJust Do It
No time to exercise? There might still be a “runners high” on the way! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Whew! Just one more lap around the block! Or … hamster wheel? Even lab mice can get a “runners’ high!” And those who get their
Continue readingRx: Love
Can love “ACTUALLY” make the world more beautiful? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Ah, love – it makes us see everything through “rose-colored glasses.” At least, according to the movies. We feel great and life just seems…well, lovelier! But wait – does love REALLY
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